Is it weird to call a supplement company sexy? Because BPI sports is a sexy company. Their website is beautiful, their packaging is excellent (seriously try and find any other packaging that is superior), their supplements all taste amazing, and they just ooze class. But does this make for a good supplement? Let’s find out in this 100% No BS 1MR Vortex Review.

1MR Vortex Review First Impression

Whilst the website is gorgeous and gives the impression of being open and honest, it is impossible to find out any information about the company. The owner’s name is nowhere to be found, their lab location is not mentioned, and no history is given. Now there is nothing saying that they need to provide this information, but the lack of it is always a bit of a red flag in the supplement industry.

The product we are looking at today is 1MR Vortex which is a pre-workout supplement, it’s always fun reviewing pre-workouts because 90% are made up of the exact same key ingredients however the companies try to disguise it. Normally by adding some root from South America that one study found to increase Testosterone but every other study found to be as useful as a chocolate teapot.

This isn’t a criticism, pre-workouts should include Caffeine, possibly Creatine, and maybe some BCAAs, anything else is just window dressing. That’s all that is required to improve your training, after that taste, cost, and serving size should be all that matters.

So what are the ingredients?

1MR Vortex contains Glycerol, Indigofera Pulchra extract, Caffeine, White Leadwort extract (root), Securinega extract, Yohimbine HCI, and 20mg of Niacin. So the usual … Caffeine and some weird roots! Well better take a look at the ingredients to see what they offer.

Niacin (20mg)

Whilst Niacin has been shown to increase HDL-Cholesterol (the good cholesterol) the benefits are usually found when taking 1g of Niacin, so much higher than the amount given. One of the side effects of supplementing with Niacin is the ‘Niacin Flush’ a completely safe side effect that causes the face to flush. It’s just a theory but it could be possible for Supplement companies to add Niacin for this effect, so that people taking it assume it is working.

Glycerol

Glycerol is added to pre-workouts to aid in hydration but will only work if you drink sufficient water, taking Glycerol without water would actually lead to dehydration and is used by Bodybuilders just before a show to look as shredded as possible.

Caffeine

Basically the only ingredient required for a pre-workout to be effective! Caffeine has a huge impact on performance. It lowers the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) making exercise appear easier [1], this could be due to it lowering reported pain during exercise [2]. It can also reverse the negative effects of circadian rhythms on training [3] and increase work load when sleep deprived [4].

It can also improve sporting performance [5], power output [6], and intermittent sprinting (HIIT) [7]. So you can see why Caffeine is necessary in a pre-workout. One of the downsides of caffeine however is that the body quickly builds up a tolerance to it, the way caffeine works is that it masks fatigue rather than giving you energy. A subtle but important distinction. The more caffeine you take, the less effect it has. This is why pre-workouts are notorious for having to increase the dosage to feel the results.

Your best bet is to remove all other sources of caffeine from your diet (yes it will be hard) so that you get the benefits from the caffeine. Also, only use pre-workouts for a limited time.

Yohimbine HCI

Yohimbine is a fat-burning compound that has a controversial reputation, it has been shown to decrease body fat in elite athletes [8] and is also a proven to help increase erections [9]. Whether pre-workout is the best time to be getting an erection is another matter entirely. The downside to Yohimbine is that it has been shown to increase anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure [10], not something that you want in your pre-workout if you’re not in great shape.

Indigofera Pulchra Extract

This is a very uncommon ingredient and as such the relevant information available is limited. The Indigofera is a type of flowering plant, and has been used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory. If it has any amazing fat-burning or energy given properties then it is hiding them pretty well!

White Leadwort Extract

According to (sigh) the Herbal Online Pharmacy, White Leadwort extract can be used to boost appetite and to lower blood pressure. The site warns that in high levels Leadwort can cause miscarriages in pregnant women, but that is in high doses and the supplement doesn’t mention how much is contained.

Securinega Root

As with the previous entry, there doesn’t seem to be much information regarding Securinega root. A trawl through the School of Chinese Medicine website unearthed the belief that it could cure impotence and strengthen muscles (though no evidence was presented for this).

The Verdict on 1MR Vortex

Caffeine good, Yohimbine HCI good, Glycerol good. The rest? Rare would be a good term to use here, unheard of in supplements would be another. There doesn’t seem to be much evidence at all surrounding these ingredients, and as a result it is hard to value them. The addition  of White Leadwort Extract makes this pre-workout border on the dangerous side (though no pregnant woman should be taking pre-workouts anyway) and even if it is in safe quantities, what is it achieving?

Taste 1MR Vortex

The reviews of 1MR Vortex are unanimous, this is one of the best (if not the best) tasting pre-workouts on the market. The flavours available include: Fruit Punch, Blue Raspberry, Sour Watermelon, and at least 3 others.

Some reviewers have complained of a lack of consistency in the products, with the same product arriving in different condition on repeat orders. On the whole though, the taste has been praised.

Pros & Cons

There are many pros to this product: Nice packaging, great taste, some decent ingredients, a fair price (currentl $17.94 for 50 servings on Amazon), and it doesn’t contain Creatine. This last one may not be a pro for many but if you are already taking creatine separately (as some studies indicate that caffeine and creatine should not be taken together [11]) then it is nice to have the option.

The cons are: Too many ineffective ingredients, and a lack of transparency over the amounts of each ingredient within the proprietary blend. This means that consumers have no idea how much caffeine, Yohimbine, or anything else there is in each serving. That’s pretty poor considering how important getting the right dose is for performance.

My Final Verdict from the 1MR Vortex Review

1MR Vortex is a pretty decent pre-workout at an affordable price. The lack of transparency is a big letdown though and needs to be addressed if BPI sports want their product to be taken seriously.

References

[1] Rodrigues, L., Russo, A., Silva, A., Picarro, I., Silva, F., Zogaib, P., Soares, D. 1990. Effects of caffeine on the rate of perceived exertion. Brazilian Journal of Medical & Biological Research 23(10): 965-8

[2] Bellar, D., Kamimori, G., Glickman, E. 2011. The effects of low-dose caffeine on perceived pain during a grip to exhaustion task. Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research 25(5): 1225-8

[3] Mora-Rodriguez, R., Pallares, J., Lopez-Samanes, A., Ortega, J., Fernandez-Elias. 2012. Caffeine ingestion reverses the Circadian Rhythm effects on Neuromuscular performance in highly resistance-trained men. PLoS One 7(4): e33807

[4] Cook, C., Beaven, C., Kilduff, L., Drawer, S. 2012. Acute caffeine ingestion’s increase of voluntarily chosen resistance-training load after limited sleep. International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism 22(3): 157-64

[5] Burke, L. 2008. Caffeine and Sports Performance. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism 33(6): 1319-1334

[6] Lane, S., Areta, J., Bird, S., Coffey, V., Burke, L., Desbrow, B., Leonidas, G., Hawley, J. 2013. Caffeine ingestion and cycling power output in a low or normal muscle glycogen state. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 45(8): 1577-1584

[7] Pontifex, K., Wallman, K., Dawson, B., Goodman, C. 2010. Effects of caffeine on repeated sprint ability, reactive agility time, sleep and next day performance. The Journal of Sports Medicine & Physical Fitness 50(4): 455-64

[8] Ostojic, S. 2006. Yohimbine: the effects on body composition and exercise performance in soccer players. Research in Sports Medicine 14(4): 289-99

[9] Ernst, E., Pittler, M. 1998. Yohimbine for erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. The Journal of Urology 159(2): 433-6

[10] Sommer, M., Braumann, M., Althoff, T., Backhaus, J., Kordon, A., Junghanns, K., Ehrenthal, D., Bartmann, U., Hohagen, F., Broocks, A. 2011. Psychological and neuroendocrine responses to social stress and to the administration of the alpha-2-receptor antagonist, yohimbine, in highly trained endurance athletes in comparison to untrained healthy controls. Pharmacopsychiatry 44(4): 129-34

[11] Vandenberghe, K., Gillis, N., Van Leemputte, M., Van Hecke, P., Vanstapel, F., Hespel, P. 1996. Caffeine counteracts the ergogenic action of muscle creatine loading. Journal of Applied Physiology 80(2): 452-457